For those who hate on the ACOTAR friendships...
I don't understand how antis can be so pessimistic and superficial when it comes to judging whether or not the Archeron sister's friendship trios are "real" or not.
They say Amren and Mor are only friends with Feyre because of Rhys, because they are paid to be there. While it is true that they want to make things easier for Feysand (because who wants to get in the way of a new relationship?) and they are paid by Rhys for their actual jobs, they also choose to spend time with her, tell her personal things, give her advice, and be her family all on their own.
They say Gwyn and Emerie are only friends with Nesta because they don't know about the horrible things she did, but they forget that the whole point of their story is accepting each other despite it, seeing the good in each other and being there for each other as they grow. They say Emerie and Gwyn were bad friends because they told Nesta she was just a child too and it wasn't all her fault, but they fail to see that no one else was telling Nesta any of that for things that were genuinely not her fault. Nesta already knew she was in the wrong for some things, she didn't need to be told that. She needed to be told that not everything was her fault, to give herself some kindness too (which even Cassian acknowledges she needs to).
They say Nuala and Cerridwen are only friends with Elain because Feyre pays her to be. First of all, canon doesn't support this at all. They get their usual, generous wages and holiday bonuses, but no "spend time with Elain" cashout. No one asked them to be her friend, they were willing to be all by themselves. They genuinely understand what she needs even when others can't (said by Feyre and therefore SJM herself) and even if their friendship began because they just wanted to help her out, what's the problem with that? It's still real.
The antis try to ruin these sweet, valuable friendships, but that's all because of their own negative perspective. In reality, we should all strive for friends like Amren, Mor, Gwyn, Emerie, Nuala, and Cerridwen.
